Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02734625 2011-03-22
SYSTEM FOR REMOVING SNOW FROM VEHICLES
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the removal of snow, ice, and other
debris from
vehicles, and particularly to a system for removing snow from vehicles that
removes snow,
ice and other debris from a flat surface of a vehicle, such as the vehicle's
roof.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0002] Snow, ice and other debris commonly accumulate on flat vehicle
surfaces. Not
only does such accumulation increase the overall weight of the vehicle, thus
decreasing
efficiency, but it must be removed in order to prevent hazards to other
drivers. When the
vehicle is driven, the ice, snow, and other debris may fly from the vehicle
surface and land on
the road behind the vehicle, or upon another vehicle, thus creating dangerous
conditions.
[0003] Due to decreases in efficiency, the necessity of clearing cargo space,
and the
potential hazards caused by these weather-related conditions, the clearing of
snow, ice, and
debris is of considerable interest in the trucking and bus industries.
Trucking companies and
bus lines spend considerable amounts of time and money clearing snow and ice
from vehicles
after every snowstorm. Due to the great effort involved, operation of the
trucks or buses of a
large fleet can be delayed significantly after a snowstorm. Furthermore, since
snow and ice
removal is typically performed manually by workers shoveling from atop the
truck bed or bus
roof, there is a significant hazard for the workers, who may slip and fall
from the raised bed or
roof.
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[0004] Thus, a system for removing snow from vehicles solving the
aforementioned
problems is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The system for removing snow from vehicles is a purely mechanical
system that
removes snow, ice and other debris from the roof of a vehicle, such as a
truck, trailer, van or
the like, as the vehicle drives therethrough. The system includes a frame
defining an open
inner region dimensioned and configured for passage of the vehicle
therethrough. The frame
includes a pair of laterally opposed posts and an upper crossbeam secured to,
and extending
between, upper ends of the posts. A pair of arms are pivotally secured to the
posts, the pair of
arms extending substantially orthogonal to the plane of the frame.
[0006] A forward crossbar is pivotally mounted between forward ends of the
arms. A
blade is mounted on the forward crossbar so that the blade removes the snow,
ice and other
debris from the roof of the vehicle as it passes through the frame.
[0007] These and other features of the present invention will become readily
apparent
upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a system for removing snow from
vehicles
according to the present invention.
[0009] Fig. 2 is a front view of the system for removing snow from vehicles
according to
the present invention.
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[0010] Fig. 3 is a side view of the system for removing snow from vehicles
according to
the present invention.
[0011] Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of the system for removing snow
from vehicles
according to the present invention, showing pivotal connection between one end
of a blade
and the forward end of an arm of the system.
[0012] Fig. 5 is a top view of the system for removing snow from vehicles
according to
the present invention.
[0013] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently
throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the system for removing snow from
vehicles 10
includes a generally planar, inverted U-shaped frame 12 defining a central
open region 14
dimensioned and configured so that vehicles, such as trucks, trailers, vans or
the like, may be
driven therethrough. A blade 18 is pivotally mounted to the frame 12, the
blade 18 being
positioned immediately above the roof of a vehicle being driven through region
14 and
oriented to scrape or clear snow, ice or other debris from the roof thereof as
the vehicle passes
through frame 12.
[0015] As best shown in Fig. 5, the blade 18 has opposed ends 21, 22 angled so
that one
end 21 is forward of the opposite end 22 (with respect to a longitudinal axis
of Fig. 5). Thus,
snow or other debris on the vehicle roof will be swept towards end 22 as the
vehicle passes
through the frame 12. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, a chute 20 is secured to a
post or vertical
support 32 of the frame 12 by supports 51, 53, which extend forward from the
post 32. As
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best seen in Fig. 2, the upper end 90 of chute 20 is positioned under the end
22 of the blade 18
and the lower end of the chute 20 forms a discharge end directed away from the
frame 12 so
that snow or other debris removed by the blade 18 from the vehicle roof is
shunted off by the
chute 20 and falls outside the frame 12. The blade 18 is preferably angled at
approximately
42 with respect to the lateral axis of the frame 12 (in the orientation of
Fig. 5, the lateral axis
of frame 12 is aligned with the vertical axis of the page).
[00161 The frame 12 includes a pair of posts or vertical supports 30, 32 and a
crossbar or
crossbeam 28 extending between the upper ends of the posts 30, 32. A light 70
may be
mounted on the crossbar 28. The lower ends of the posts 30, 32 are secured
within a pair of
rearward extending concrete footings 72, 75, which provide a stable base for
the frame 12. As
best shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 5, additional diagonal support struts 84, 86 may
be used to
provide additional support or bracing for the posts 30, 32, the lower ends of
the struts 84,86
being attached to the concrete footings 72, 75.
[00171 An additional concrete footing 74 may extend forward of the concrete
footing 75,
as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. A shield or fence 88 may be extend forward from the
post 32 and
be secured to a fence post extending upward from the additional footing 74 so
that when snow
or other debris falls down the chute 20, the snow or debris is prevented from
entering the open
region 14 between the posts 30 and 32, thus keeping the driving path of the
vehicle
approaching and passing under the frame 12 and the blade 18 clear. Preferably,
the chute 20
is adjustably mounted with respect to the frame 12, and may include an insert
formed from
rubber or the like that contacts the side of the vehicle, thus forming a non-
damaging seal to
prevent snow or other debris from falling between the upper end 90 of the
chute 90 and the
side of the vehicle within the open region 14.
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[0018] The blade 18 is pivotally mounted on the posts 30, 32 by pivot
assemblies
connections 52, 50, respectively. The blade 18 is secured to a crossbar 34,
which extends
between forward ends of a pair of arms 36, 38. The arms 36, 38 are pivotally
secured to the
posts 30, 32 at pivot assemblies 52, 50, respectively, near the upper ends of
the posts 30, 32.
It should be understood that any suitable type of pivot assembly may be
utilized.
[0019] As shown in Fig. 4, one end 60 of the crossbar 34 is pivotally mounted
in a
bearing 62 formed on the forward end 31 of arm 36, the opposite end of the
crossbar being
pivotally mounted in a similar bearing at the forward end of the other arm 38.
The crossbar
34 may be formed from square tubing and have short, cylindrical axles or stubs
extending
from opposite ends of the square tubing that rotate in the bearings 62. In
addition to the
pivotal mounting of crossbar 34 and blade 18 with respect to the arms 36, 38,
the crossbar 34
is preferably spring-biased with respect to the arms 36, 38 to prevent
excessive rotation
therebetween. As shown in Fig. 4, a support plate 64 is preferably mounted to
the crossbar 34
and extends substantially orthogonal thereto. A tension spring 68 extends
between an upper
end of the plate 64 and a bracket 66 secured to the arm 36. A similar
structure restricts
rotation of the opposite end of the crossbar 34 in the other arm 38.
Additionally, it should be
understood that the angle of blade 18 relative to the cross-beam 28, best seen
in Fig. 5, may be
reversed, so long as the forward end 21 of the blade 18 remains positioned
opposite the chute
20 (i.e., the angling may be reversed if the chute 20 is positioned on the
opposite side of the
frame 12).
[0020] The blade 18 may be formed from any suitable material, such as steel,
and may
have a reinforcing plastic liner. Although shown as having a substantially C-
shaped cross-
section, it should be understood that the blade 18 may have any desired shape
or relative
CA 02734625 2011-03-22
dimensions. The pivot assemblies 50, 52 may be brass pivot pins inserted into
height-
adjustable boxes 92, 94, or any other suitable type of pivot assembly.
[0021] Additionally, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 5, a pair of guides 40, 42
may be
attached to the blade 18 and extend forward therefrom. The forward ends 41, 43
of the guides
40, 42 are preferably beveled, thus urging the pivotal movement of the blade
18 (via pivotal
connections 52, 50 of arms 36, 38, respectively, with vertical supports 30,
32) when the roof
of the vehicle contacts the forward ends 41, 43. The rear ends 45, 47 of the
guides 40, 42 are
attached to the crossbar 34. In order to further prevent excessive pivoting or
rotation of the
arms 36, 38 with respect to the frame 12, a pair of chains 80, 82 or cables
may extend
between the crossbar 34 and the frame 12.
[0022] The rear ends of the arms 36, 38 have counter-weights 56, 54 mounted
thereon.
Preferably, without the presence of a vehicle, the counter-weights 56, 54 are
weighted (and
the arms 36, 38 are properly dimensioned) so that arms 36, 38 extend
substantially
horizontally; i.e., the counter-weights 56, 54 are perfectly balanced with
respect to the blade
18 and guides 40, 42.
[0023] It should be noted that the pivoting of one arm 36 is independent of
the pivoting
of the opposite arm 38 with respect to frame 12 (via the pivotal connection
between the
forward ends of the arms 36, 38 with crossbar 34, as shown in Fig. 4), thus
allowing the blade
18 to fully contact the roof of the vehicle, even if the vehicle is off-level
or slopes to one side.
The frame 12 is preferably portable, and it should be understood that the
system 10 may be
dimensioned and configured to accommodate the particular vehicles being driven
therethrough.
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[0024] For most trailer-type vehicles, the system 10 may be dimensioned so
that the
blade 18 is balanced approximately 12.5 feet above the ground. With the
pivoting of arms 30,
32, the blade 18 may be rotated to a height of approximately 13.5 feet above
the ground. As
noted above, the pivot assemblies 50, 52 may be brass pivot pins inserted into
height-
adjustable boxes 92, 94, or any other suitable type of pivot assembly, the
height-adjustable
boxes 92, 94 being slidably adjustable on the posts 30, 32, thus allowing the
height of the
pivot assemblies 50, 52 to be vertically adjusted, depending upon the type of
vehicle passing
through the frame 12.
[0025] The posts 30, 32 and crossbeam 28 may be formed from 8" x 8 3/4" steel
beams
or the like. The guides 40, 42, using the above exemplary dimensions, may each
extend
approximately five feet from the forward ends 41, 43 to the blade 18. The
guides 40, 42 may
be formed from any suitable material that will not damage the vehicle roof,
such as steel
having a plastic insert or the like.
[0026] It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the
embodiments
described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of
the following
claims.
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